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That's bombbas.com/slash listen and use code listen at checkout. Yeah. Welcome, welcome, welcome. Another edition of the Jim Jackson Show. You can follow the show, of course, at Jim Jackson Show on IG.
Also, youtube.com slash rich eisen show or wherever you download. your favorite podcast. Another beautiful day. A little rainy in LA but uh Another opportunity to come. and speak to the audience to my good friends.
But listen, I wanted to talk about this near the end of the year. Marsh Madness is around the corner. Getting ready for Big East Tournament, Big Ten tournament, AC, C tournaments, and then roll it into. you know, Marsh Maddis Richards by far One of the best times of the year.
Sometimes I wish I could go to Vegas just to watch it, but I'll be calling a lot of the games for TNT this year.
So make sure you tune in to that. But one thing I wanted to say about this year, and this is the open and we're going to go into other stuff, is that this year feels a little bit different in college basketball. One, because of NIL, two because of the transfer portal. Three, the SEC has kind of dominated college basketball, not college football, college basketball through the course of the year. Texas AM, it was Tennessee, Auburn, Alabama.
teams of that nature, even Kentucky up in there. But it feels different because you don't have even though Duke is right there, Duke. I think has a chance to really do something special because of the size they possess. Because of the coaching, but also they have an NBA player, all-phenomenal player with Cooper Flag. But it just seems like it's more wide open that you just really don't know.
And a part of that is because of the transfer portal. A lot of young men have been able to transfer. and enhance what some teams needed. Whether that's depth, whether that's leadership, scoring, shooting, rebounding, whatever it is, that has positioned a lot of these schools that. We're on the cusp last year.
that now I've kind of taken that next leap. And I think that's the Transitions we've begun to make in men and women's sports in college. is that what we were used to seeing in the past where you would grow a program three, four years with players that you know. It's now becoming free agency. And unfortunately, that is what's happening in today's world.
So it's going to look and feel different. But I still think what's special about March Madness Is that with all of that said, it's a one game. Tournament. You win one game, you advance. One game, you advance.
You have your Cinderellas that advance. You buy into. You may not have been watching certain teams or certain players, but it's something magical. When March Madness comes around, despite maybe not following or knowing some of the key players or having the super, superstars like it was in the past. But knowing that something great could happen.
or can happen or will happen. during Marsh Madness is what brings us in.
So I'm so looking forward to seeing after the conference tournaments finish. Where are the number one seeds land? Who are the number twos? Who got left out? where it all comes together.
Because I think it's going to be another magical and special year in college basketball.
So make sure you tune in. Welcome, welcome, welcome. As promised, um I can say special guest. Really good friend. Entrepreneur, filmmaker, actor.
Academy Award winner. Knicks man. Hold up.
Now you see, I got you. I got you. I tell you, I tell you one thing. I got you. Knicks guys.
You know, it's interesting, too, because I want to talk to you about your love for the Knicks in particular, but basketball. Is there a correlation between that and filmmaking? Yes. What is that? Teamwork.
Mm. Teamwork. and coach him. Director People want School days. First, I work with the great Lawrence Fischburn.
He didn't call me, he said, call me coach. Dead. Coach. What's up, Coach? He didn't call you Spike Lee.
Coach. Because he found that he couldn't we couldn't relate.
So he said, you know what, Spike's a big sports fan, so He thought that we'd be able to better communication if if uh Call me coach. He was right, clearly. School days way back. Yeah. So.
Do you carry like that sports mentality? Into kind of, because you're a huge sports fan. Got to. My father was dragging me to the garden. Uh-huh.
old Yankee Stadium. Shea Stain when I was a kid, so And uh I've done the same thing with my kids. And what gets, like, I just say this: I live in New York. And I see these fathers. I know they're from New York, and their kids are wearing a Boston Red Sox hat.
So. Ha ha ha ha. You're divorced. And it's like your weekend. Or you got a job.
But it is a father's duty. Whatever your team is, that has to be your son and daughter's team. What what about if it was just for the look, 'cause they just wanted the look?
Well They want the rock. They wanted to rock. Look, I mean, I grew up in a different era.
Okay. But still. If you grab your No way in the world if you if you if you're We'll follow. And you and So Jets Giants, Jets, Giants, Knicks. No.
Or that you gotta wear that if you're New York.
Okay. And that's the worst thing is if it's a Boston team. Yeah. Can't do that. Can't do it.
I mean, I look, I got respectful, you know, but still. I'm from Ohio, right?
So, but I never grew up like a Cleveland Browns fan. I grew up closer to Detroit, but I'm a Steeler fan. Mm-hmm. I'm a Steeler fan. Yeah, but that whole, it's the same.
What you know Pittsburgh and I mean yeah it is though it is it is though because where's your terrible towel? I got one at the house, right? I got jerseys, I got everything. No, I came here to represent you today. But you don't have terrible talent underwear on?
No, no, no, no. Listen, listen. I went to Ohio State too. I don't even have Ohio State drawers. I don't do that.
Whoa, whoa. I don't. It's the Ohio City. The Ohio City. I have to tell you that?
Nah, you know, but I have to tell you that. You know what's funny? It's the Ohio City. You know what's funny though, Spike? When I was in school, we didn't say, we just.
That came, I don't know where that moniker came from later on. And who did it? But It took on a life of they got it copyrighted. They do. Yeah, they do.
They got it copywritten, man. But it's been amazing to watch your evolvement from. 1992 to where you're at now, kind of how you started, kind of the path that you chose to take. As you look back at it now. And think about the young spike.
What would you tell her? You did all right. But that's a very good question. Uh I was a sports fanatic growing up. In I was at May eighth, nineteen seventy.
The Game Seven, the Willis Regame, I was there. My father, I was 13 years old. My father's lawyer had a season two years ago. You were the game? Yeah, it was.
May I was 13 years old. 69 when the Mets won their first World Series. Ran on the field three times, won the Eastern Division, when they won the National League, and then when Davy Jones flied out to Cleon Jones elect. We toured off. You can't run the field like you did back then.
But. I had a piece of grass I took home. Did you? My mother threw it on after a year. Like, boy, what are you doing with this grass?
It wasn't even green anymore. And back then. Uh-huh. The world sues all day games. Games one and two were in Baltimore.
Frank Robinson, Brooke Robinson. I mean blue power McNally, Koyong had a great team. They were 111 games. Uh-huh. Games one and two were in sh Baltimore games three, four, and five in Shea State, which is no longer around.
And They came home. Back to Queens, games three, four, five. There were no night games, it was all day game. My mother said. Your son's going to school.
My father said, No, he ain't. He's going to go into the game. Go on to the game. I just love love sports from the very beginning. And It used to be a you know, I'm a big collector now, but back then The Gotham Hotel was with us.
So when the Pirates came in for Clemente. And The Giants came in. To play the mess with Willie Mays, McCovey, Juan Marischell. We had like a gang. We had our baseball cars waiting for them.
Then it would kick us out of the hotel. We try to get in front of the bus. Get out of here. Get out of here. I mean we had just So much fun.
I mean, as a ch as a child growing up. And that's another real quick.
Okay. I feel sorry for this young gentleman. That's what I was going to ask you. That's what I was going to ask you. We played stick ball, stoop ball, two and touch, Johnny on the pony.
I mean Street. You made up game. You made up games. You made up. That's right.
And these kids are like this. I know, man. We used to go. And play all of that. Yeah.
Street football. Tackle cement. Tackle cement. That's right. And we would do this to hoop.
Because we didn't have indoor courts a lot. In the alley, but we would, people that had some, you know, backyard hoops, we would know their work schedule when they would leave so we can go jump the fence and go play. Yeah, you know what I mean. But it's a different time because now I know it's like the old fuddy-duddy, but still. When I see This I know, man.
He knows. How much did you ride your bike? Or did you walk a lot? I had a bike that got stolen. Oh no!
Crazy story.
Now, in Brooklyn, it's not porch, it's called stoops. Stoops, yeah. Send my bike, it's a swing. Ooh. And I'm like And this old Puerto Rican man jumped the bike, but he just took it.
I was about to ask him. Give me my bike, give my bike. Hey, now you know I love Burwico, so I don't want to hear it. But the guy in Puerto Rico, right? And he took your bike.
Did you get it back? Hell no. You still looking for it? He's in a background. Listen, it was a swing.
But that's the swing was that's what we used. But that's what we used to do all the time. Because either through the neighborhood, you walked, you ran, you rode your bike, you connected. We were active. We were active.
And also, to your point, too. In today's world, because of social media, Do you think the nostalgia is lost? Not just with athletes, but with entertainers because... Like when a Michael Jordan came to town, or you talked about Frank Robinson, it was. A big event because you really didn't know a lot about, you knew a lot, but you didn't.
You weren't active in their lives. With today's world, Everybody knows everybody, so it takes kind of the nostalgia away. I don't know, but when the Lakers, but when the Lakers were back, when Michael joined. I know, but back then it wasn't social media.
So when they came in town, it was big. When the next schedule came out, you look who's coming. You know, when the Lakers are running. But that's you. I'm talking about for young.
But you you didn't grow up like us i think i think that i mean the meat is Social media has made it more accessible but Anywhere In the NBA. When the big teams come, it's fire. I can tell when we do at the Clippers, I do games with the Clippers, when. The teams come in, it's a different feel. In the game.
Because on the team, when the big team? When they come now, because I do Big East games and I do games at the garden. How's that St. John's? Oh, that's St.
John's. You come listen. Just because, one, I'm selfish, because. When St. John's Wasn't playing well, that means I didn't come to New York to do games because they won on Big Fox.
But now that they're playing well, that means that I get back to New York and do games in the garden. Buy a house. Don't just carse it. Buy a house. Right.
No, but it's great for one, the conference itself, having St. John's. He's been dominated really by Connova and UConn. Yeah, yeah. But having.
St. John's back in the mix.
Now we need Georgetown. We need Georgetown to kind of be back in that. What's up? What happened with Patrick at Georgetown? My humble guy.
That's my guy. No, no, that's my. He was my sister coach, and I played against Patty's sister coach with me at the Rockets. I just think That It was still under The umbrella of John Thompson. And sometimes, as great as that is, you need to move away from that and kind of bring in fresh blood.
But bringing Pat Bat gave it a shot. And he met somebody. But he had John Thompson Jr. fouled.
Well, he was before, no, he was before Pat. Yeah, I'm saying he had to follow. Yeah, that's what I'm saying.
So sometimes you kind of need to. Recreate or re-energize the fan base with a different. Message because you still looked at Patrick Ewing, but it's still under John's tutelage, it's still under his umbrella. And he had a lot of talent, some injuries, some. Matt McClung was there that won a dunk contest.
He was at Georgetown. He ended up leaving, but... And you know, I was pulling for Pat because again. That's my guy. And he's such a great guy.
He was at the game the other night. Was he? Yeah, again. And he kind of got. You know, the short end of the stick with some opportunities in the NBA to not be a head coach.
Well, I just hope that he gets another shot. That's my guy. But it's always tough coming back to your alma mater to be a head coach. I mean, because of his accolades, it's different if he wasn't Patrick Ewing. You know what I mean?
If he was maybe a complimentary player and come back, you know, then the expectations I don't think are as much or as high. But with Pat Ewing, you automatically think you're going to win. I got mine. I always tell the story. When the late great Dave the Busher put his hand into the thing.
I don't know if Donald was hot or cold, but I do know. I think that thing was real hot. It was real hot. Was it the microwave or refrigerator? I spotted it.
No, no, it was hot. That thing jumped up when Dave put his hand in there. It jumped right into his. It was a match. I can't speak of my brother like that.
He was a great pitcher for Chicago. Don't even try. You know, at the time, for them to get the number one. Oh, that was a great trade. That was a great trade.
That was a great trade. We got the Busher. That took, we won. But I I ran to the subway. And got online to get my season tickets.
Did you? So I got kids. Right then, that was the first time getting a season ticket. Yeah, I went. I bought sitting in the blues, right?
But And also, every move the first thing to take is went on court song. Oh, where's the song?
So you went from up top. No, no. Before Or the high bf Well, I was a kid. Yeah. And no money You stuck here.
In the booth. You sneak in. Oh, I see. You sneak in. Ah But here's the thing though.
I will scout my ticket. You get paid and go watch it.
So you do the whole routine, right? The Knicks, man.
So you went from up to... Where? No, when I got my CMT the first year, back then they were different colors, so it was in green. And then every film moved down, moved down, moved down, moved down.
So after Malcolm, you was on the floor? I had to do some research. I mean, what's what they, you know? I get a hookup, but bro, it wasn't no season tickets. But uh Have had some Somebody wrote an article how much money I spent.
On or just season tickets? I was sick. You don't think about it at the time. You just want to be there at the game on the floor. Oh.
Was it was it was it worth it? Or is it worth it? Oh, yes.
Okay, then.
So, I mean, you can't die with a spike. I know, but. I never sold accumulation of the. I know, but you can't. You can give me like a mic.
Oh, you want to tell it? I won't even like a m I said like a Mike Tyson. I live. I grew up in Fort Green, Brooklyn. Right.
And with offices. 'Kay. And There's a hospital in Fort Green called Cumberland Hospital. You know, I was born there? Yeah.
Bernard R. King, Albert King, Michael Jordan, and Mike Tyson. Right. All born in Brooklyn. And Mike hastens to Spike.
Stop talking that goddamn Brooklyn shit. I said, Mike, you were born there. You fall from there. Yeah, stop talking about Brooklyn stuff. How about this?
So, my connection with Mike.
So, when I was married, right. My ex managed Mike. He actually walked her down the aisle. Yeah. How about that?
So we used to go to the fights. This is when he got back out and kind of Started to regain his boxing skills and everything. But yeah, he was. One thing I say about Mike is this: a lot of things. Look at how intelligent he is.
The audience, they know what Mike you're talking about. Mike Tyson. All right. Mike Tyson did it.
Okay. And. being able to spend some time with him one-on-one. And really listening to him talk. He's no dummy.
Book red was. You know, unreal. I learned so much about, and again, that's, you know, we're all, I think, subject at times to judging people by the cover of the book instead of actually the content. But until you become a racist? No.
Well, I mean, that's what they say. That's what they say. That's what they say, right? Yeah, why did Mookie throw the garbage care out through the window? No, through Sal the Windows Sal's famous pizzeria.
Right. Right. When you look back at that. At that movie. Was it 30?
89. 89. So that's what I'm saying. 1989, 1989. With the power.
So hold wait the Library of Congress They they brought in four year movies, right? It was. Yeah, four films. Four films. It was Four Little Girls, Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and.
What am I missing? She g she gotta have it. She's gonna have it.
Okay. How how does that I mean come on from where you started I know it's plaques but Yeah. When you started this thing. But she's got to have it. $175,000 budget, right?
$175,000. When I make $8.5 million. Right, $8.5 million. From That belief in yourself. Mm-hmm.
To where you're at now. What's that journey been like, man? Bust my ass. Mm. And you know that uh Put the work in.
And I've I've I've just got For example, you know, with great advocates like you, you know, we We come out the womb dunking. Mm-hmm. No. Working on our skill. putting hard work training the intellect.
We just come out the room dunking. We come out the room dancing. Come up to me singing. But we put the work in. Against all odds.
And you know our ancestors built this country 400 years. Forty years. From Kansas C in the morning, Kansas C at night. At the All-Star game, I had that jacket on and said, We want a reparation, sorry. We want a reparation.
You're racist.
So. Nothing's given you, given. You know, you got to work. And I'm a. I went to Enway Graduate Home School.
When I'm a tenure professor, I've been teaching here 30 years. and I tell my students, like, you gotta bust your Ass. And for the most bilingual student, I said, You had to bust your kulo. Got to put the work in. The hand of God is not to come out of the sky and anoint you is the next.
Uh-uh. And then Yeah, pus it It's not going to be, I tell my students too, no. But Miss But Professor Lee, it's hard, I say. What's easy? Mm-hmm.
And then another thing that I like to say. I say my prayers every night. Because I'm doing what I love. I'm able to a decent living. But joyous people on this god's earth go to their grave.
How to work every day. put food on the table, Roof overheads. Do I have to do? But hated their job. Hated their job.
Yep. When you have a job. That you love, that you feel almighty. Said, this is what you want to do, and you're able to do it. You're a winner.
You're a winner. And then our parents, my my mother was a great art teacher. My father is a Famous bassist Did the scourge my films Father played with Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin. I mean, everybody. And uh You put the work in.
I mean, he would only write when everybody went to. In fact, you saw Crooklyn. Yeah. That's my family. That's it.
Del Roy played, Linda played my father, Alfie Wood played my mother. I was the oldest, the Knicks fan. Always. But I'm just I envision it.
Well, you gotta put the work in. And no matter what you want to do, and you know that. At the Hyundai Getaway Sales Event, get deals so right, it almost feels wrong.
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All-State Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. Wh when at what age did you decide you'd make an NBA? You know what's interesting is that, because I grew up playing football. I love football. Yeah.
You know, tight end, defensive end. Oh, tight end. Come on, baby. Come on, baby. Who's your favorite tight end?
Kellen Winslow. Stop playing. Come on, come on. Don't play with me like that. I love Eric Coriel and San Diego.
Come on, don't. Come on, no. It was Kellen Winslow. It could have been Mike Dickens. No, no, I ain't that old, man.
But you know, he was a problem. Back in that day, Tight ends basically were blockers, except for Keller, because their offensive system was different. They were airing it out with Dan Fouts. But then when I got older, I started to fall in love with basketball. What age is this?
I was probably. Um 1415. He was a big kid? Yeah. About the same size almost.
Yeah. You know, but I fell in love with it. Because of the joy I had playing. And like you, you said you gotta put in the work, right? Mm-hmm.
So I would do things that my friends didn't want to do. I would go work out early in the morning because I just wanted to be the best that I could be. Forget what everybody else said. And I also wanted to prove that a young kid from Toledo, Ohio can be one of the best players in the country. And I got to do that by the time I senior you were about two hours.
Two and a half? You know what I mean? But I grew up playing a lot of ball Derrick Holman in Detroit because it's only 45-hour mission. He had no AAU. That wasn't running, right?
AU was there. It was there. But what you went to was five-star, blue chip, all the basketball camps.
Okay, that's where you cut your teeth. Because the beauty about the basketball camp is this, Spike. It taught you how to be competitive because you had stations in the morning.
So, station work was. X amount of maybe 12 minute stations. And you had to compete within those stations and learn fundamentals. Take a break, and then in the afternoon, you played.
So you got judged not only how you played, but how you competed. And the college coaches are there, right? And the college coaches, so they're watching all of that.
So we got the best of both worlds on how to compete in drill work. And then can you transfer what you just learned and take that competitive edge with you to the game?
So what office did you get from?
So you got a million dollar offers. But here, here was my thing.
So when I came out my senior year, Kenny Anderson and I were number one, number two in the company. Where's Kenny from? He's from Queens. All right. All right.
He's from Queens. Yeah, I want to be. I know. I know you're going to be, man. We're playing Lakers tonight.
So he was, Kenny, for all you don't know, he was like, he was like, if we had social media back then, he would be like LeBron. That's how big Kenny Anderson was. Because he started since he was a freshman at Malloy High School. But Kenny and I were going to Syracuse together.
So we took our visit together. Yes. So my top schools were Syracuse, Georgetown. I mean, Syracuse, North Carolina, Georgetown.
So was Kinney's. we were going to take our visits together. We took Syracuse together. And then one day back then we had the rotary phone. I already took my call I mean my visit to uh it was Ohio State and Michigan, the remaining five.
Kenny calls me. I said, what's up, man? He said, I've made my decision. I said, okay. He said, I'm going to Georgia Tech.
I was like, what? Bobby Krimitz. Bobby Kremitz. Come on, I know I'm doing it. But it shocked me because we didn't talk about Georgia Tech.
And can you say that? After that.
So he was like, when my mom's really like Bobby, I was like, Bobby real good at getting dudes from New York. He's really good at getting guys from New York. You know what I'm saying? I'm just, I'm just, hey, Spike. I'm just saying.
He got a smooth tongue. He can get you. But that's so. But my point is, when I started to play at high school, I played with older guys, especially in Detroit. That's when I knew I had something.
I didn't know what it was. But I knew I was like you. I was willing to put in the work. Put the work in. And once I put in the work and went to those camps, I said, I'm pretty good.
You saw you play with them, right? But I'm going to be better because of what I learned. And I'm going to outwork everybody. And from there on, that just took off from there, man. Yeah.
My vision. You know, and I've been blessed like you. to live a life And I've been retired, since 06, so 18 years. You put 18 in? I put 14 in.
Retired in 06, been retired 18, been doing broadcasting for 17. That's great. No, no. You know, I'm still surprised. I'm still wild.
I'm still amazed. at the life that I live to this day. You know, I mean. When I wake up in the morning, I'm like, man, I can't believe I'm. I'm doing what I do.
Every day is a blessing.
So I know what you're talking about with that, man, with people that. for whatever circumstance or reason can't really enjoy a period of time in their life where they just This is what light, you know what I mean? And you seen it.
Well, you go this way or that way, you know, a lot of times then. And who you around?
So, just like athletics, for you, like I have favorite moments in my life: being drafted, being able to get to the playoffs the first time. things of that nature. For you, is there a film? That is either most impactful or your favorite, or is it the same?
Well, this this I'll just say Hmm. Impactful will have to be Malcolm X, you know, with uh My brother from Money Earned in Mount Vernon. Denzel Washington, who's on a On Broadway now, and uh There's a lot of pressure on that movie, you know. Uh-huh. I had to go to Chicago, meet with the minister.
Did you? Yeah. Oh, for Malcolm X? Yeah? Yeah.
You know, he said spike, uh I love you, I respect you, but I know you're going to do what you want to do with Malcolm, but be very careful about the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Yeah. How you portray him, right? Yeah. I called him.
I mean, I called him to say, I'm coming to Chicago and since Dowd you. I didn't want the fruit rolled up. Oh, no. I want the fruits like rolled up. Therefore, I'm gonna.
And so how did he but but you said afterwards that He did enjoy the film. In my office, I have a letter that he he framed as how much he loved the film. Really? Yeah. Yeah.
A big thing about was the last scene we filmed. Mm-hmm. Then still ends with the the great. Nelson We filmed that scene. Africa was still under the reign of apartheid.
Yeah. Uh-huh. Yeah, because they got done. It was 94. Yeah.
So we went to Egypt. We had to do the stuff with the people. Yeah. Danzel's going down the Nile there with the fly to South Africa and on the way from. Johannesburg to uh No, on the way from uh Asia.
Cairo. The Egypt We got a Stop halfway. There's a bomb threat. On your plane?
So we had to stop in Nairobi, Kenya. Ready to get off the plane. Oh, wait, was that directed because it was who was on the plane, or was that just during that time period? The South Africanist knew that we would come on an interview. Mandela.
Is that right? But uh I've had some brilliant memories. I'll say this though. You know People come up to me all over the world and stuff like that. And they always say, I'm not even, I don't even ask, they say, Come with the total strange C.
Crooklyn is their favorite film. Really? More than do the right thing. Morton Malcolm X people say Crooklyn is their favorite film. Why?
the f the family. Oh yeah. And that's black folks playing it either. And that's the one that's autobiographical that I co-wrote with my siblings.
So Crooklyn.
Now, you're competitive like me. Yeah, yeah. And over 24, I think, feature films. And then you got the... documentaries, you got T V.
But Only two academies, honorary academy. Yeah. And you got one for black clansmen. I was one of the screenwriters. There was four screenwriters of black clansmen.
Okay. So. We're gonna say it. Robbed R-O-B-B-E-D. I'm gonna give you the athletes, huh?
Should have been an all-star. My third year, I'm fifth leading scorer in the league. Dallas Mavericks are better. I'm averaging 25. I don't get anything.
What team was he playing with?
Okay, some full mask. Me, Jay Kid, Jamal Mashbrid, Jamal Mashbrin averaging 24, neither one of us got an all-star nod.
So I know how it feels to kind of be. You put in the work. And they say, well, it's not your time. For you with all that you've done. And Malcolm at the time were to get nominated.
Best Supporting Actor, no, Best Actor for Denzel. Denzel. And then you got. Best costume design, right? That was nominated too.
Yeah, Roof Carter. Roof Carter. Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah, alcohol.
No. Black Panther. Black Panther. Yeah, she won.
Sorry, Root. She won two for Black Panther.
So, but. Of all that you've done to not be able to really receive that record, does that bother you? Or are you at a point in your life now where? you're comfortable with those things maybe not being there.
Well Very good question. Back in the day, if I do the right thing, the membership of the academy was. was not diverse at all.
Okay. And I think I know over time We will see. No one's watching Drive Miss Daisy now. That one, Best Picture. You in these driving movies, huh?
What? You in these driving movies. Oh yeah, that's lovely. Oh, that's most recent. It's funny.
So we're up for Black Classman. And then Green Book wins. I said, man. Anytime someone grabs a bunch, I lose. Oh.
Oh my god. Oh!
Okay. And then I was like, oh my God.
So uh But the work remains. Yeah, exactly. Does it drive you even more though? No, I'm self-motivated.
So, I mean, it's not like I'm going to come back before, you know. It doesn't doesn't work like that for me. But uh This new film With Denzel Asher, we're in post-production. Ace Rocky. You gonna give me a little bit more?
Okay, it's a reinterpretation, not a remake of the great Japanese filmmaker or Kirukasawa's film. High and low. Mm. Reinterpretation, not a remake, a different art. And so to solidify that, I just Tweak the title, it's highest to lowest, not high and low.
Different time period, right? Yeah, test current.
Okay. And uh as a shout out to Prince is not the highest T O, no highest, the letter to letter to. You know, Frisbee dude, he's making up his own life with his own.
So, uh, In this film, And Denzel plays a giant Music guy, mogul. He has the best ears in the business. And uh There's a kidnapping. And in this film, what I love about this film is like. The generational aspect.
Mm. You got. The O G Denzel. Versus up and coming Younger. Generation.
Me sit rocky. Aces from Harlem, too. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on. And I I this really can't anymore in In the editing. Then The shooting, just the whole.
This generational thing amongst black men. And Oh, it goes both ways. These young knuckleheads, they want to do it. And the young, they're like, ah, these guys are old. Yep.
And We're both we're all black men. You know, you know, we're going through it's such different, you know, different things, but I hope this film An old and And at least a little way. We don't we got it. These young cats teach me. Oh, big time.
You can learn now. You can learn. You can learn. And we can't go after all these young. No, no, no.
And then. Yeah, because I look These OGs. They've been through what you're doing, so. I think, I hope, I hope that people get that in that film. and this film coming out.
Denzel Larson, Ace, Rocky got who else? Who else is in? Jeffy Wright. Yo, I need to. I need to.
That's one of my favorite actors. Yeah. Brooklyn, you gotta connect me, man. You grew up in DC, there's a fourth grade. You gotta connect me.
Nah. No, seriously, man from from from what? Jeffrey Wright is just one of the. Great actors that kind of just can can play. And he's believable in the roles that he's played.
And you think about the dynamics of the roles that he's played in. You know what I mean? And thank you for. Prompted me that Jeffrey is a great actor, so. Is this film?
Let's come out to sum up. Is it? You know, I put out the hot joints. I put the hot joints in the stomach so I'm like, Oh.
So, you're doing a premiere and everything?
Well, yeah, we'll get a. It's gonna be summer. We don't have the date yet, but we'll be summer. Got you. Hook me up, bro.
I mean, I'm here. Where are you in LA? I'm here in LA. I'm here. I got you, got you, got you, got you.
It is. But there's the thing. I just want to. I know we're going all everywhere. I'm telling you, I love it.
Denzel Washington. Mo Better Blues. I know, man. Malcolm X. He got game.
Inside myself. I got to beef with you on that, too. You know what? Listen up. Listen up.
Till somebody told me, I didn't know Inside Man was 18 years ago. I know, man. I got two stories for you. Two stories. He got game.
I thought I should have been in it. You auditioned? No, I didn't. I never got a chance. That just did my mind.
Ray Allen is my guy. Jesus Uttelworth.
Okay. But I was like, man, that should have been me.
Okay. I'm going to got some stories to follow up.
Okay, so that.
Now, I'm going to tell you a story about Inside Man. Yeah. I'm playing with the Lagers in 2006. Kobe. We're playing the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.
Now, mind you. This series we're up three one. Or in Phoenix. Phil Jackson at the time, what he does, he's a different coach.
So he tries to figure out ways to motivate guys to be able to play a certain way. In our film session. He breaks down the film tape. One part is the film, the other is Inside Man. What?
And the reason why the reason why, it was scenes in Inside Man that talked about trusting each other.
Okay. And so what he would do is. He would play a clip. From inside man And then he would play a clip from the game of we didn't trust the teammate or the pass or whatever. And he did that through the series.
More than once. More than once. At the game? No, no. It was like before practice, when we had film sessions, he would take certain clips that he thought.
How many games did the series go? It went, We ended up losing seven. That was the game that seven days, seven games. You eclipse. Seven times you eclipse the inside, man.
Yep. That's the game. Then you guys have seen the film? No, I've seen it. But the Kobe seen it?
Yeah, Kobe saw it.
So that's the game where Kobe didn't shoot in the fourth quarter. Mm-hmm. Okay, because he was trying to prove a point. But it was ironic that he would mirror, he would find. A dynamic that fits each other, a scene from that movie that fit what was happening on the court and put them together.
Let me ask a question, though. Who do you play for? Who? Phil Jackson. Oh, no, come on, come on, man.
We always gotta go fetch. We always gotta go fetch. Hold on. You weren't feeling that way when he was president of the operations, now, were you? Yeah, now you want to put your hood on.
Now you got to put your hood on. You got to take them both. Who he played for? Who he played for? Who is Rick Bo?
Who he learned under? Brett Hostie. He didn't learn that well because when he came to the Knicks, everybody was loving it. I said, it's going to be different being upstairs and not being on the floor. Get in the zone!
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Thank you. Hey, Spike, we were talking about the movie He Got Game, and I had an issue with the casting because I wasn't in it. You know, I thought maybe at the time I could be the guy with Denzel, but you got a funny story, huh?
Well, The story is about the casting. And how I wasn't there.
Okay, but go ahead. Gene Shilsworth is a top high school prospect. And I've seen so many bad basketball movies where the actors that You just knew they shoot, you see the ball leave their hand, and then you cut to the basket. That's horrible.
So I made a list of the The cats are coming out. Of college. And also, of the people who stood in the league that look like look young enough Like like they were I was only 23, 24, man. Yeah, you look like you were a senior in high school.
So I made the list. And uh Ask Kobe. He said Use Glad that I thought of 'em, but Summertime, he's working. Because the role Really, it really, you had to give you a whole summer. Yeah.
And you. At the whole eight months, you need to No Refurbish your body.
So I made a list. Uh AI, he didn't want to audition. He just wanted to part. He just wanted to depart, right? Yeah.
And I was thinking about Rehearsal Rehearsal. I don't know. He's stupid, man. Please do that. Made, you know, several other people and I Ray Allen.
Audition Mm-hmm. And I said, right. when need went out to rehearse practice, you know, I we go got him an acting coach. And He was committed. The day we rapped he went to cant.
The next day. That's how long it was to that side.
So the next day, Milwaukee Bucks, George Carl, was the coach. And a lot of other guys like John Wallace, you know. They audition for Jesus, but they end up being uh Walt of McCarty. Laudimacari. Point guard for Who's on it who's one of His teammates.
Tony Dell? No. No. Well whose teammates? Walters?
Ray's teammate. Uh Oh, Rip Hamilton, no. No! He would di. I don't know.
There you go! No, Travis wasn't, but that wasn't his teammate though. Give it to Georgia Tech. No, I'm saying. In the movie, oh, oh, in the movie.
I thought you meant his teammate. No, Travis Best. Travis Best. Travis. Oh, Travis.
So, Travis, Walter Carter, John Wallace. And so At the end of the movie. The father's son. Showedown in the script. Realis pulls the win.
11 nothing. In the script.
Now Denzel played you know you know Denzel played uh Junior Varsi You know his coaches, right? Who? PJ Chris Moore. PJ Westray. PJ.
That was Denzel's JV coach. Right. So Denzel still considers him a hooper, or did at that time.
So he was like Spike. I don't care the script. And the script. Rage posts the when Goes to beat his father Jake Lemmons up. Denzel, like, nah, later for that.
He starts throwing up some stuff. It's going in, bagging his stuff. And Susan Batson, the acting coach, she's screaming at him, Ray, what are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?
And Rayon looks at me and says, Time out, time out.
So time. You know, timeout movie. We said a movie. Check the movie. We call the timeout.
Jesus spikes. And the script says, I'm supposed to be Dead Zilli and Living Zip. I'm like. It's Denzel, bro. You all understand it's Denzel.
But Denzel, it was. It made also. It was a better scene too. Oh, was it? Because of that.
Dan's do that. I wrote it. He j Raise portal When 11 zip. But Denzel know dramatically better. I mean, that's his- It's a drama part.
It's a drama. Is he really going to be a little bit more? And you see the scene later before where he's a little kid and we got to get out of the corner. But what house do you want to buy your mother?
So dramatically, that's how the Jesus does. I didn't see that. Desert saw that. I have Daddy had. Jake has to score some baskets.
Whether you pick the school or not, Jake got a score. Get my ass out of the picture. Jake got a score. Jake got a score. And and That made me better.
But uh but Okay. But people don't talk about that scene. No. They talk about the scene with the two assistant coaches. Yeah, man.
The Rick Fox. Yeah, man. BAAH Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo! I won't tell, I won't I don't remember where we found those Uh I don't know where they came from. You got nothing to do with the casting, right?
I did. Sure. That'd be top notch. That's school. Uh-huh.
They're not going to drag two legs off the street to get the number one prospect in America. Right, so you had to make sure you did your due diligence, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, that's what you do. They participated in the pictures.
Hmm. What's the best thing about working with Denzel? I know A lot of people might be offended, and people I know, who I'm very close to, but in my opinion, whatever it's worth, I think Denzel is the greatest living actor. Today. Mm-hmm.
at his at his age. What he's done. And uh Again, I don't want to The Almighty's Blessings. I've done five films with them. And nothing is that our wives are close.
In fact, Malcolm Washington was going to the game tonight. When he's working, the sons got the seats, but the families are close. It's always like we say, wash. The Washington leaves and leaves Washington. You know, so it's a beautiful thing.
And another thing I like to say is that. If you have a relationship where, like, you might see somebody once a year. But you'll miss a beat. Don't miss a beep. That's why I was so surprised.
Don't miss a beep. Inside man was 18 years ago. I know, man. I know. I gotta check this out.
But it could have been two weeks. Because when yeah, you you brother man, you know this. When you have a bond, that thing, you don't have to see everybody every day. Nope. No, it's just something.
You don't have to see him. You have to talk every day and see him. No. It's bigger than that. Are you like that with Mike too, Jordan?
No, mine's different. What? What? Spike, we love you, baby. I wore these just for Spike.
Even though we're playing them, got these shoes. It's different. Mm-hmm. Everybody is Like Mike's personality is different than Denzel's. You know, it's people are different.
And so. You just gotta rock with them. You know, you robbed them. And enjoy the time. You have when you're with them.
Yeah, yeah. And, you know, it's... It's one of those things, too. Like, again, I'm going to mirror the athletes, the athletics with. your career.
It's the same thing. And athletes, but here's where I think you're very interesting from this perspective. Thank you. Is that. And athletes we want to leave a legacy.
A lot of it is records, championships, things like that. Um things that we've done and accumulated in our career as a legacy. For you, with all the film and everything you've done, you said you want your legacy to be your kids. With Satchel, your daughter, and also with Jackson, your son. That's your.
That's your legacy. and what they're doing and who they are. That is going to speak the volumes of who Spike Lee The other day My daughter, she's grown now. Phenomenal photographer. We're doing a photo shoot.
Well, I'm going to be undercover. And I'm just amazed. She's like. Like this. Like that.
I mean like I took a lunch. Yeah, 30. My son's 28. My son works for me too, Jackson.
So. Yeah. My wife Time, we just we're just so happy with the Our children, and I mean, not grown children. And I know it's cliché, a cliché.
Sorry about that slip with the broken knees. But uh I it's a cliche, but it's it's it's About family. When it all comes back to it. when it all comes back around. Whatever you do, when you come back around.
Make that circle. Family. And There's some bumps and bruises. That's part of life. But the end You know, we don't live forever, so you just wanna Leave.
Knowing that If family's straight, And and Generation. Generation. Come on now. Come on now. I got an older 32 and a young one at six, baby.
Come on. Come on. Generation. Generation. Generation.
Keep it going. Yeah, I'm the same way with mine, man. It's just and I'm a different father now at 54 with my young son at six. Then I was. With my older son.
We learned. You know what I've learned? And we go back to our conversation about the younger generation. Mm-hmm. is that we as especially as fathers, older, We've been through so much, we got all this knowledge and we know everything.
But it's better to be able to listen. I learned to listen to my little one. on what he's telling me instead of trying to tell him.
So now I've learned patience. I've learned to be able to slow down and understand what he needs and how he needs it. Not to mean that if something goes wrong, I'm not gonna be stern on him. But I've learned now that The path to really help him grow is me being more attentive to what he's saying, how he's saying, what he's feeling. You know what I mean?
As a father. And that's the second time around now as an older father. You know? Our children I don't have any grandchildren yet. A wise She looking at the clock, right?
Like, what's happening? What's happening? But uh Oh, last I know we gotta wrap it up, but uh The world today, all this stuff happening around But let me mention you this, okay, with the world today. Is it any different? I mean, the world has always been crazy.
The world has always had some stuff.
Now, hold wait, I'm saying this. I'm going to say this because if you look at throughout the course of history, it's always been something. Always. Now, we're getting it in real time. We're getting before it would take a while for news or things to happen.
Is it really different or is it just our time? You see what I'm saying? Because it's always been crazy what this guy's done in his first 30 days of. Bean Wild It's been it's bananas, man. I'm like.
We're taking over Greenland. Yeah. We're moving 2 million Palestinians out of their homeland. Where are they going to go? We don't know.
I'm going to make it the. The Mediterranean Riviera. They have a Trump hotel. Yeah, yeah. It's now you Google, put on Google, it's the Gulf of America.
Yeah, Gulf of America, yeah. All things that don't need legislation to change right there. No word of orders. Yeah, he turning Brooklyn into Trumpling. No, no, no, no, that ain't gonna happen.
That ain't happening. That's not happening. Not in this lifetime. That's not happening. I don't know, man.
I just think it's. Our time is challenging. Um, I'm a big historian, yeah, and I try to follow no tribes. What are Yoda say? Oh, no, tribe.
What are Yoda say? Do. Yeah. Do. I do.
Yeah. You've been doing. You're still doing. Yeah, and it's. It's an interesting time, and I talk to and I read and I think about.
Other generations, I don't care if it was 100 years ago, 1,000 years ago. What about our ancestors? That's what I'm saying. It's a walk in the fog. That's what I'm saying.
That's what I'm building with regard to hard times. It's been there before. We're getting it now because it's us. But. We've been through, we've seen.
This ain't new. This ain't new. This ain't new. This ain't new. It ain't come on now.
It may be different, but it ain't new. You know, it ain't new, but they try to. The Okie Dog. Say, you stupid. The flim flams, shenanigans, skullduggery.
But you live long enough. You say you live long enough. That's what happened, though, right? You end up seeing a lot of stuff that goes on through your lifetime. Whether you like it or dislike, whatever it may be.
We're survivors. Yeah. Survivors. When I'm in a tough spot, we all are. I think about Mm-hmm.
Speaking to myself, Spike, man, this ain't nothing. This is what your ancestors had to go through, man. Mm-hmm. Why are you tripping? Why are you tripping?
Say it again. Why are you tripping? Because you know, it's relative at the moment and it's affecting you until you get a better. And that's why you look at it and say it's all about your perspective on how you view it. Because if you view it as always negative, it's going to be negative.
And and another thing is that We just gotta take a breath. Mm-hmm. Slow down, right? Slow down. Slow down.
Take it wherever. Take a walk around the block. I'm going to smoke a cigar, bro. I take my cigar and I'm good. That's why you and Michael smoke cigars all day long.
That's how I got into cigars because of him. He and Ron Harper. Right. He got it. Mike has his guy.
I'm telling you, what's the football guy? Oh, um, um. Play for the Colts. No, no. He played for.
Um um for Chicago Bears. Oh, who are you talking about? You talking about Freeni? The white Freeni? Yeah, yeah.
Oh, yeah. The white Freeneye. Oh, yeah. He got his true. He has true.
My god, my gotta. Small, yeah, very small and small, and you ain't ain't no cracks. Yeah, yeah, no, no, no, no, no, you get that squeeze in there, ain't no cracks. If I don't know you, yeah, Mike, if I know you from 20 years ago, Mike mess with you, but he don't with you, you know what I mean? That's what he does, but I, but I get it because if I'm Mike.
I have a selective, you got to be very selective who it is.
So, we're talking about lifetime before we get out of here. Did Nixco win a championship in your lifetime? We gotta circle back to the Knicks. Because you got a tough game tonight against the Lakers. And then you can get that angle tomorrow on Friday against the Clippers.
We're losing both games? I don't care about tonight. All I care about is on Friday. And I'm and I'm a huge keep in mind, I'm a huge. Thibodeau was my assistant coach when we were in Houston Rockets under Jeff Van Gundy.
I covered. Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart when they were at Villanova. Rick Bunsen is a very good friend of mine.
So I got a lot of contacts. Wes and I go back.
Now that'll be a movie. It's going to be a movie one day. Trust me. I'm directing it. It's going to be a movie.
And I got to give you a couple scenes from when we were younger. I got to make sure I'm in that. I'm directing. Worldwide. You know that already.
So we have a discussion. I'm director. Yo, biotic. Yo, bio. Hey, you know when I knew Wes was.
West It was during the Dallas Cowboys. One of the repeats. He's on the sideline next to the coach. Standing next to Jimmy Johnson while he's out there barking outside, I said, I saw that too. He's right, Ryan.
Like, he's a. But I'll be right back. I mean the championship window, bro. I mean it's. In the east right now, you got Cleveland.
And you got Boston ahead of us. Yeah. And to come out of the east, we have to be both of them. And we're 07 with the Knicks right now, today, 07 against OKC. Boston What are you guessing?
Cleveland. Yeah. What? Cleveland, right? Yeah.
So, not now. Mitchell Robinson comes back in the fold. Played the other night. Move Cap back at the four. OG at the three.
You really, and Mikkel at the two. You got a formidable. The problem is the depth.
Now, you only go six, eight deep anyway in the playoffs. You're only going to 18. It might be seven. No, trust me. Coach, all right, coach.
That's a joke, Coach. That's what you're going to do. If Tibbs could go eight, if he trusted, he would do that. But you got to go with what you trust. In no situation, because you're marching to the 82 games, but I mean.
But you I understand that. Understanding what you're saying about the load heavy load on his primary players. I know. They're yelling, they'd be all right. They're young.
Yeah, you sound like that. Yeah. But but I do. May 8th, 1970, I was at the first World Championship. Nixon's Lakers.
Mm-hmm. It's called the Willis-Reed game. Don't say the Walt Frazier, who had like 36 points, 18. And then the second is the 72-73 team.
So we haven't won over 50 years. Mm-hmm. It's my hope before the final bell rings. You know, I don't care if they gotta roll me out in a real chairtown like this. Yeah.
You want to be there, right? I got to be there. It's going to be tough, man. I mean, what's easy? No, that's you're right.
Go back to our thing. It's not easy. It's easy.
Well, it's gonna be tough. Yeah. I mean we we haven't beaten Number seven is OKC. Cleveland and The Haited Boston Celtics. Yeah, man.
I like their coach stone. You like Coach Stone? Yeah, Missoula. Yeah, yeah. I do.
I do. I like him, man, because he was putting in the impossible position. I don't want to be able to do that. And he was able to. But they went through the gauntlet of losing.
And being disappointed, and being at the threshold, and then they finally broke through. You just can't. It just doesn't happen because you want to get the talent. It just doesn't happen that way. You know, something may happen a little bit sooner, but it takes time.
And I don't know. How much time you have? What's our window? Three years?
Well, your core is still young with heart. Brunson, Mitchell, if you say healthy, Cat, that core is young. how you build that out. In the future, Mikael Bridges, but how you build it through some free agency, health. Because you got a great core, OG, your core.
for the next five to eight years is solid. Because of that youth. But that doesn't always translate into... a championship. That's why only one team wins it.
I got hope for you. But I'm a clipper guy, so Sorry, pardon me.
Well, you definitely hope. Oh, wait a minute. Mr. Ballmer, I'm sorry. No, no, no.
I know. I appreciate the tickets that you give me last. I'm calling them after this. Let's say Spike said we need a lot of hope. Sit them over there on the other side.
Not by you. I got my. They sent the ticket on you. Hey, hey, Spike, man. I really.
Have me on again, man. Have me on again. I appreciate you coming in. Are you there for the Biggie's tournament? Yeah.
I'm there. When's it start?
So it starts on the 12th. Of next week. There's like a week off after this, right? No. Because it goes from the 12 yeah, but it goes from the 12th.
Chill Saturday, Big E's tournament. Selection Sunday is Sunday. And then you have the first four in on that Tuesday. And then that Thursday is. Marshman.
St. John's gonna be Got a chance? I mean, it'd be one of the top four seats. If they win Biggie's Tournament, right? Biggies Tournament.
And you know who they remind me of? 2022, 2023. Houston Team, college team, Cougars. Who's on that team? It was Shed that plays now, Quentin Grimes.
Oh, Nick scored 44. 44 the other night. But what they, Calvin Sampson had the same. He and Rick Petuno have the same formula. They don't shoot threes well.
They don't shoot free throws well. But They offensive rebound their butts off. They defend their butts off. They create turnovers. They get out and run.
And they have size. And that team for Houston made it to the Elite Eight.
So it's a path to success. I think the way they play, you can't prepare for that St. John's team. How big am I looking at the tape? No, no, bro.
How big and aggressive they are, and you got a mastermind. A genius that sits on that bench. that manipulates the game. In segments. And that's what's hard to coach against.
You know what's funny? The game you did, I was there. Those rest men, they They got a hard time between Bobby and Rick, bro. I mean, come on, man. I talked about it.
I mean, Bobby, I mean, Danny Hurley, okay. They were getting from both coaches, man. Between Danny Hurley, Dan Hurley, and Rick Petino. They earned that money that game. I mean, it's just like the whole time.
But that's the drama that. the biggies brings to the table. that not a lot of other people. From back in the day. Back in the day.
My brother, bro. My brother, man. I'll see you next week. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Appreciate you, brother.
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